The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Punica granatum, a member of the Punicaceae family, hereinafter referred to by its cultivar name ‘Orange Blossom Special’. This cultivar is grown primarily as an ornamental for landscape use and for use as a potted plant.
The cultivar originated from an open-pollination of Punica granatum ‘Nana’ (unpatented) in Watkinsville, Ga., and was selected from the progeny of this pollination by continued evaluation for growth habit and flowering and fruiting characteristics. The seeds were first sown in a greenhouse. After germination, the resulting plants were moved outside to an outdoor nursery where they were transplanted to larger containers and evaluated. ‘Orange Blossom Special’ was discovered as one of these seedlings in the outdoor nursery.
‘Orange Blossom Special’ has been asexually reproduced by softwood cuttings since 2007 in Watkinsville, Ga. The characteristics of ‘Orange Blossom Special’ have been stable and reproduced true-to-type in successive vegetative generations.